"UN" kills the buzz

NEW YORK - A hoax press release was sent out from the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) yesterday claiming that the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem had been scheduled for April 19-21 in order to observe "4/20," a counterculture holiday that celebrates cannabis use.

“The United Nations does not recognize '4/20',” said UNODC spokesperson David Dadge. “And although we wish we had good news for the folks who do, some large and powerful states still insist on blocking the majority’s desire to decriminalize, which means that this senseless war on people will continue.”

The hoax release falsely claimed that the UN was adopting blanket recommendations to consider drugs a health care issue rather than a criminal justice concern. Although many UN member states now consider decriminalization a viable way to reduce drug violence, corruption, and mass incarceration, the UN has yet to adopt a more progressive policy due to a few states like Russia, China, and the United States, who persist in employing and promoting heavily punitive drug policies.

“Citizens of deadbeat states like the USA, Russia, and China must lobby their governments if they want to see change,” said Dadge. “But until they succeed, those who insist on celebrating '4/20' where pot is illegal had better start growing their own. Sadly, without better state policy, home growing is the only way for a user to opt out of the cycle of violence.”